1. Field of Invention
The disclosure generally relates to the field of electronic books, and more specifically to the creation of custom synchronized narrations for electronic books.
2. Background Information
For many years audio books have been available for people who are blind or visually impaired, or just prefer to listen to a book as opposed to reading it themselves. With the rapid development of electronic books, the interest in audio narration has grown rapidly as well. Electronic book readers implemented either as use-specific devices, or as software on personal computers, tablet computers and smartphones have allowed the scope of what constitutes a book to be expanded.
Children can now learn to read with the aid of book readers that automatically generate audio narrations using text-to-speech software. Visual indicia can be automatically provided (such as the classic “karaoke bouncing ball”) to aid children in reading along with a narrator. Electronic book readers can also be programmed to provide interactive content, encouraging a child to take an active part in learning to read.
While prior art systems exist for parents to record their own narrations to electronic books (for example, see U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/687,240), there are no known systems that conveniently allow a narrator to customize their narration to include content not from the original text.